The North Carolina House voted Wednesday to adjourn a special session without having repealed HB2, the controversial anti-gay law that Republican legislators had vowed to repeal in exchange for the city of Charlotte scaling back its own non-discrimination protections.
In the days leading up to Wednesday’s special session, Charlotte city councillors and Republican state legislators had seemingly reached a deal: If Charlotte scaled back its non-discrimination ordinance, Republican majorities in both chambers of the state legislature would repeal HB2. Among many other things, the law requires transgender individuals to use bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond with the gender assigned to them at birth.
However, early on Wednesday, the deal appeared to be crumbling. After Republicans grumbled that Charlotte had only repealed part of its non-discrimination ordinance, leaving in place protections for transgender contractors among other provisions, the Charlotte City Council met again to repeal that language as well.
When the city council first repealed the measure on Monday, it had passed only on the condition that the state legislature repeal HB2 by Dec. 31—but when the council met again Wednesday, it repealed the entire ordinance without imposing such a trigger.
Later in the day, state Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger filed legislation that would repeal HB2 but also put in place a six-month “cooling period” that would prohibit any local ordinances regulating employment protections or public accommodations.
Democratic senators, whose votes would have been necessary to pass that legislation, were furious.
“This wasn’t the deal,” state Sen. Jeff Jackson, a Charlotte Democrat, said on the Senate floor, according to The Charlotte Observer. “The deal was simple … this bill breaks that deal. Charlotte acted in good faith that we would keep our part of the bargain and it looks like we’re not going to.”
Democrats also expressed concern that the temporary cooling off period would be extended indefinitely by Republicans, who have a veto-proof majority in the state legislature.
As of 6 p.m. ET Wednesday, the state Senate had yet to adjourn.
And don’t forget at the national level …
The slime’s are wasting no time —
It’s who they are. It’s what they do. There’s no making deals with them. Making a deal with them is just a sign of weakness.
So.
The Charlotte City Council decided to act in good faith by repealing their ordinance only to see the state legislators renig on their end of the deal. Now that’s what the GOP calls a bargain!!!
Speaking of bargains hows about some of these fine deals?
So when will the council put their ordinance back into place?
What, you’re saying the power-crazed racist bigots in the NC legislature can’t be trusted? Next I suppose you’ll be try to claim that they have different laws when a Dem governor is in office than when a Republican governor is serving. Come on, this is just crazy talk.
When are the Democrats going to learn. They don’t do ANYTHING they say. You can’t trust them on these things. Garland should be nominated - they would have done it already. Single payer should have been passed -= they would have done that to if it was something they wanted. Just like they are going to make changes to health care and Medicare . Come on Democrats. Get some balls!